How to Live an Aristotelian Life

Aristotle’s concept of happiness rests on three ideas: (1) the virtues, that are good properties of 1’s character that profit oneself and others; (2) phronesis, which is the power to make use of the virtues to the correct quantity in any explicit scenario; and (3) eudaimonia, which is a life that’s joyful, profitable and morally good, all on the similar time.

That is the primary week in our One Year, Six Ways challenge, in which we try to experience six different philosophies of life in our own, everyday lives. And we start with Aristotle, one of many fathers of Western philosophy.

So how can we utilise Aristotle’s theories about happiness in our personal, on a regular basis lives? Learn on.

Can I be too trustworthy?

Aristotle’s view of life begins with the idea of virtues. Virtues are good properties of 1’s character which might be useful to oneself and to others. Assume, for example, of braveness, honesty, or kindness.

However not any quantity of those virtues is nice. One might be too brave, for instance. We might name such an individual reckless, maybe. They do have braveness, however they’re unable to see that typically it’s wiser to be much less brave so as to attain a great final result. An excessive amount of honesty is perhaps hurtful. An excessive amount of kindness and one is a doormat. So, for Aristotle, the trick just isn’t solely to have the virtues however to have the ability to management them in order that one has them all the time to the correct quantity: the quantity that’s optimum for each scenario that one encounters.

The purpose Aristotle desires to make is that each single scenario requires a unique quantity of each advantage, and knowledge consists in figuring out precisely how a lot that correct amount is.

You will need to see that this isn’t all the time some “center” quantity. There are conditions the place zero braveness is the correct quantity: for instance, whenever you’re out on an African photo-safari and a lion out of the blue stands in entrance of you, licking its lips. Then it could be reckless and silly to do something however get into your automotive and shut the home windows. There are, equally, conditions wherein the proper quantity of braveness is an excessive quantity. For instance, if you’re a firefighter, referred to as to rescue individuals from a burning home. On this case, you’ll be able to’t say “Oh, however I’m purported to have solely a center quantity of braveness. Let another person go in there.” It’s your job to rescue these individuals, so the correct quantity of braveness on this scenario can be what to others might sound reckless. The purpose Aristotle desires to make is that each single scenario requires a unique quantity of each advantage, and knowledge consists in figuring out precisely how a lot that correct amount is.

Three kinds of individuals

Aristotle emphasises that the virtues should be deep and balanced. What does he imply by that?

“Deep” are virtues which might be a lot a part of our character that we do, ideally, not even consciously understand that we’re performing virtuously. Virtues are primarily a type of ability, says Aristotle, and like each different ability, they should be practised till they’re carried out nearly routinely.

For instance, let’s say you stroll alongside the road and out of the again pocket of the individual in entrance of you falls a stack of greenback payments. They haven’t observed and stroll on, whereas the cash now’s proper in entrance of your toes. What do you do subsequent?

Knowledge is to know precisely how a lot of each advantage is correct in each explicit scenario. 

First, you might choose up the cash and run. This may very well be both as a result of you’re a unhealthy individual, a prison, a thief. Or you’re simply so tempted by the cash that you simply can not deliver your self to do the correct factor. In any case, the cash is now yours – however Aristotle’s scorn is just too. He would say that you’re akrates, an individual unable to withstand their temptations, who’re due to this fact performing in a morally unsuitable method. A nasty egg, principally.

Second, you might take a look at the cash and assume: Properly, that’s a brand new iPhone. You’ll choose it up, depend it, dream of what else it could purchase you. However then, you additionally take into consideration Aristotle, about your sixth-grade faculty trainer who was so pleased with your good character, of the One 12 months Six Methods experiment… and you are feeling that you simply simply can’t do it. You aren’t that sort of individual. You run after the man who misplaced the cash and hand it again to them. Aristotle would say that you’re somebody who’s on the best way to goodness, however not but fairly there. You might be enkrates, which suggests you’re nonetheless tempted to do the unhealthy factor, however you’ll be able to, after some internal wrestle, resist the temptation (nice Youtube video on resisting temptation) and do the correct factor in the long run.

The third choice is the very best for Aristotle: with out considering, with out hesitating even a second, you name the man in entrance of you, choose up the cash and hand it to them. When you act like that you’re, in Aristotle’s phrases, sophron, a wonderfully developed, ethical human being. The objective of each human life, whether or not we all know it or not, is to achieve this stage of ethical perfection as a result of solely then are we actually human and actually useful to ourselves and to others.

From youngster to Gandalf

Look additionally at kids, Aristotle would say: all of us start the journey of life as little monsters which might be centered solely on their very own profit. Infants usually are not altruistic, young children need to seize all the things that they discover engaging and take possession of it. A lot of the early training we give our youngsters is supposed to show them that one can not all the time have all the things. They should study to share and to withstand the temptations of life. After they develop up, they’re typically within the second stage: youngsters may sometimes be tempted to lie or to steal, younger lovers may sometimes damage others, younger individuals may want time to discover ways to management their urges and their feelings and do the correct factor even when they don’t really feel prefer it. However hopefully, they will even develop out of this stage and attain the third stage of ethical growth, the place they are going to all the time act morally proper – a type of delicate, sensible outdated age that we idealise in literary figures like Gandalf and Obi Wan Kenobi: these usually are not impotent outdated males – they’ll and do struggle for the nice. However they’ve reached a stage wherein they aren’t any extra tempted by something to behave in a morally unhealthy method.

It’s attention-grabbing how a lot our tradition follows Aristotle when it creates its visions of preferrred males: each in Star Wars and within the Lord of the Rings it’s the temptation that’s on the centre of the ethical battle of the story: the facility of the darkish aspect, the facility of the one ring. And the distinguishing characteristic of those preferrred males just isn’t their youth, their power, their magnificence, their eloquence, their wealth: it’s their potential to withstand the temptation. They’ve, finally, reached the stage of being sophron.

It’s attention-grabbing how a lot our tradition follows Aristotle when it creates its visions of preferrred males: each in Star Wars and within the Lord of the Rings it’s the temptation that’s on the centre of the ethical battle of the story: the facility of the darkish aspect, the facility of the one ring. 

Changing into proficient

However then, how can we turn out to be sophron? How can we attain this final stage of human growth? What’s the secret to turning into actually good?

We have to follow goodness, says Aristotle. Being good is a ability, and similar to every other ability we have to follow it so as to enhance at it. And that is the explanation why kids can’t be sensible. That is the explanation why Gandalf is all the time an outdated man (or lady): buying that ability wants time.

In any other case, turning into sensible and good is rather like studying to put in writing or to play the piano. To start with, one will get all of it unsuitable. Youngsters have a horrible time making an attempt to maintain “b” and “d” aside after they study to put in writing. Piano rookies are confused by all these dots on the totally different traces of a music sheet and the way the dots correspond to the keys of the piano and the way the fingers correspond to the keys. To start with, all of it appears hopeless.

However then, slowly, via relentless train, day after day, issues begin to make sense. The kid learns to put in writing, the piano learner is ready to play easy melodies. However they’re nonetheless tempted to get it unsuitable: a troublesome phrase can be written rongli, a troublesome piano piece will finish in a frustration of knotted fingers and damaged chords. It is just when one has reached a stage of experience that one just isn’t tempted to make any errors any extra. Neither I nor you’ll be tempted to put in writing easy phrases wrongly. A proficient piano participant would by no means be tempted to get their fingers on the unsuitable keys. Being sophron implies that one does the correct factor routinely, with out ever needing to consider it and with out even being tempted to make a mistake.

Functioning properly

For Aristotle, “being good” means nothing else than “functioning properly as a human being.”

That is the extension of how we use “good” in relation to issues. pen is a pen that writes properly. automotive is a automotive that drives properly. musician is an individual who performs music properly.

However what, then, is an effective human being normally?

It’s, Aristotle says, doing properly what human beings are supposed to do. And what’s that? It’s “exercising their virtues in accordance with cause.” So right here you may have the 2 components collectively. The virtues are what we are supposed to train – however this must be executed in accordance with cause. And that is the place the moderation and the knowledge of deciding the correct quantity of advantage is available in. The reason being what tells us what the correct quantity of advantage is in any particular scenario.

In the long run, the one who acts like that can realise their full potential as a human being; in the identical method as a great pen realises the total potential of a pen, and a great automotive realises the total potential of what a automotive might be.

That is the extension of how we use “good” in relation to issues. pen is a pen that writes properly. automotive is a automotive that drives properly. musician is an individual who performs music properly. 

When you attempt to average your virtues and to use them completely, utilizing your cause and practising all through your life, you’ll attain some extent the place the train of those virtues could have turn out to be automated. And, because of this, you can be dwelling the very best, essentially the most rational, essentially the most passable life out there to human beings.

He calls this state eudaimonia, which in Greek means one thing like “being guided by a great spirit.” A life that’s charmed, we would say, a life that’s guarded by angels.

Every little thing is linked

You will need to see how for Aristotle all the things is linked with all the things else. One can not turn out to be good in isolation, in the identical method as a pen or a automotive can not develop their full potential with out the correct setting.

pen is ineffective if I don’t have good paper. Attempting to put in writing on a stone ground with a great pen is not going to permit me to understand the pen’s good qualities. A pen additionally wants good ink. If the ink is just too thick or too watery then the nice pen will write badly. And eventually, so as to exhibit its full potential, the pen have to be held by the hand of somebody achieved in calligraphy. Give a great pen to a monkey and it will be unable to put in writing properly.

So the goodness of the pen just isn’t solely a high quality that’s inherent to the pen. pen can solely attain its full potential whether it is embedded in a context of different issues which might be equally good. pen wants a great calligrapher, good ink and good paper – with out these, it’s ineffective.

Equally, a human being can not attain their full potential in isolation. They’ll want associates who’re equally good and who’ll assist them alongside the best way. They’ll want good education and training. They’ll want some average wealth. They’ll should be wholesome. Aristotle doesn’t imply to say that poor individuals or hospitalised sufferers are unable to dwell good lives – however it is going to be loads more durable for them. In an effort to make the experiences that one must develop one’s virtues, one wants a supportive setting. And the higher the setting, the simpler it’ll for the person be to achieve eudaimonia.

And that is how one’s personal striving for happiness connects with Aristotle’s ethics: We will solely attain our full potential along with others. If everybody does their very own job properly, if everybody helps others and is helpful to them, then we’ll all revenue on our journey.

Selfishness is not going to result in happiness in Aristotle’s world. 

For instance, proper now, you have an interest to pursue your full potential as a human being by understanding Aristotle (amongst many different issues that occur in your life). However for this to work, you depend upon the Web, on which you learn this textual content. You rely in your browser working, on the facility grid to produce your property with electrical energy, in your companion’s cooking to maintain you fed whilst you learn this – and on a myriad different issues that individuals provide to you. In the event that they don’t do their jobs properly, your individual eudaimonia will undergo. Conversely, when you don’t do your job properly, no matter that’s, another person’s striving for perfection can be set again.

This can be a highly effective thought: that we’re all on this collectively. Selfishness is not going to result in happiness in Aristotle’s world. We should try to be the very best we might be to others in order that they, in flip, might be their finest selves; and on this method, they are going to revenue us and allow us to develop even additional. Perfection in life is, essentially, a cooperative affair.

This turns into nowhere as clear as within the social circles that we construct round ourselves: a member of the family can solely flourish if the remainder of the household does. An individual amongst their associates can solely excel if the others do too. An worker can solely attain their most skilled potential in an organization that works properly and the place everybody strives to be their finest employee.

And so, in the long run, it’s in everybody’s personal curiosity to help and to assist everybody else. As a result of nobody is an island, and we’ll all, in the long run, succeed or fail collectively.

Be sure to subscribe so that you simply don’t miss any posts! Thanks for studying!

Share this: